SECTION: Section D; Page 1; Column 2; Sports Desk 

LENGTH: 825 words

HEADLINE: ON BASEBALL;
That Face In a Crowd Is Cone's

BYLINE:  By JACK CURRY 

BODY:
Bob Sheppard was performing the glorious act of introducing the Yankees for the first time at Yankee Stadium this season, a ritual that Joe Torre called special no matter how often you witness it. It is the unofficial start of the season, a chance for the fans to meet the new Yankees, greet the old Yankees and behave like raucous fans again.

But hundreds of fans in the right-field bleachers did not even bother peeking at the field for the debut of Sheppard's enunciation of Jason Giambi as a Yankee. Amazingly, every back seemed to be turned away from the plate, every pair of eyes riveted on the man in the blue jeans and brown leather jacket leaning on a railing near Section 37. Everyone wanted their little piece of David Cone.

Cone, who still considers himself a major league pitcher, did the truest of New York things when he paid eight bucks for a ticket and sat in the bleachers. It was cool and sincere, even if Cone was wearing a tiny television microphone. Cone has always fancied himself a blue-collar New Yorker and the ultimate New York baseball player. Will he be remembered as a Yankee or a Met? No other player even merits a New York, New York argument.

He was definitely a Yankee yesterday and he definitely wants to be a Yankee again. When Cone shuffled into the sticky and crowded seats where perhaps no player had gone before, he was immediately engulfed by the people who would rather chug vinegar than spend time in the box seats.

Cone signed ticket stubs, baseballs, jerseys, caps. He shook hands, posed for pictures and started the worn-out roll call by bellowing, "Yo, Bernie!" It was thrilling for fans, but just as delightful for Cone.

"I've always wanted to watch a game from out here," Cone said. "Plus, these guys are the real fans. This is my way of saying thank you. If you want to see a Yankee game, you come out here."

There is a method to Cone's seeming madness. Start the season sitting in the bleachers and finish the season sitting in the dugout with the Yankees. Cone wants to be wanted by the Yankees one last time. While Cone said the "door is always open to pitching again," he was coy when asked about pursuing future employment.

"I'm kind of a fan of the game right now," said Cone, who would report to Tampa, Fla., tonight if George Steinbrenner offered an audition. "Whatever happens, happens."

Cone does not want to be a fan all season. In Cone's 2002 fantasy season, the Yankees call him after the All-Star Game break because they suddenly need a starter. Because the Yankees already have six starters jammed into five spots, Cone's chances seem slight. But Cone is allowed to dream.

Tony Ferreira, a friend from when they were minor league roommates who joined Cone at the Stadium yesterday, says that Cone dreams big. He always has while winning 193 games, and he will for a little longer.

"He wants to retire as a Yankee," Ferreira said. "That's his goal. Get those seven more wins, do it with the Yankees. That would be great. I know he talks a lot about the Yankees and finishing his career with the Yankees. He's pretty loyal to the Yankees and George."

Then Ferreira paused, watched a smiling Cone sign about a dozen more autographs in 30 seconds, glanced back at the field and said, "How could he not love this?"

Clearly, Cone loved it. Every disingenuous athlete who talks about doing something for fans should imitate Cone's gutsy gesture, and there was a gutsy quality to what Cone did. Derek Jeter said Cone "was brave to go out there." A few fans called Cone a traitor because he pitched for the Boston Red Sox last year.

Cone quickly joined in with the R-rated version of the "box seats stink" chant, but he did not offer backup vocals on the R-rated version of the "Boston stinks" chant. He may need the Red Sox to offer him a job again. But not really. He wants the Yankees.

"The one missing ingredient in here, I think, is Coney," said David Wells, not bothering to explain how Cone might fit. "He has a big heart and all that."

General Manager Brian Cashman, a much more objective source on Cone, did not harpoon the notion of Cone's returning to the Yankees. It is a draining season and the Yankees may have to worry about Roger Clemens's age, Wells's back, Sterling Hitchcock's elbow, Orlando Hernandez's next injury or something else.

"I would never count him out," Cashman said. "You never say never. I tried to get him back here before last year, but he didn't want to compete for a fifth spot."

While Cone clanged a cowbell with his new friends, Ferreira unveiled a potential summer of fun for his buddy. Cone should take about two more months to rest his arm and body and then check the landscape (meaning the Yankees' rotation) to see if there are any jobs.

Ferreira said it would take Cone about three weeks to be ready to pitch, a short span for a bleacher creature to fulfill his fantasy of being a Yankee.
 http://www.nytimes.com

GRAPHIC: Photo: David Cone, in the bleachers yesterday at Yankee Stadium, doesn't plan to be a fan for long. (Mary DiBiase Blaich for The New York Times)

LOAD-DATE: April 6, 2002